Washington — Following the extraordinary success of the first nationwide Sunshine Week last March, the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation in Miami has awarded a second, larger grant to the American Society of Newspaper Editors to implement and expand the open government initiative next spring.
Sunshine Week 2006 will be held March 12-18.
“This is great news,” said Rick Rodriguez, ASNE president and executive editor of The Sacramento Bee. “The response to Sunshine Week last year far exceeded our expectations, and this Knight Foundation grant will allow us to continue to remind our readers how critical open government is to our democracy. The timing couldn’t be better as we seem to be fighting more and more battles on the local, state and national fronts to keep the public’s business open.”
The $200,000 grant for Sunshine Week 2006 will fund operations, coordination, print and online materials development and other tools for participants in the weeklong discussion about the importance of open government to local communities, states and the nation.
Sunshine Week 2005 received support from more than 750 newspapers large and small, broadcasters, Web sites, nonprofit organizations, state press associations, open-government coalitions and advocates, journalism schools, civic groups, and others.
In addition, 11 governors and three state legislatures issued proclamations in support of Sunshine Week and open government.
“We were absolutely bowled over by the response to Sunshine Week 2005, not only in the sheer volume of participation, but also in the depth and creativity of materials produced and their impact on the public and lawmakers,” said Andy Alexander, chairman of the ASNE Freedom of Information Committee and chief of Cox Newspapers’ Washington bureau. “The Knight grant will help us to grow with new opportunities and partnerships for 2006.”
Sunshine Week 2005 participants produced a variety of materials including news and feature stories and series; editorials and opinion columns; editorial and strip cartoons; special sections and presentations; graphics and illustrations; special Web pages and online resources; and public forums, workshops and community events. Examples of the variety of work produced for Sunshine Week 2005 will be available in a hard-copy book and on the Sunshine Week Web site.
“Sunshine Week showed us that a majority of Americans are truly concerned about government secrecy,” said Eric Newton, Knight’s director of journalism initiatives. “But more work is needed. This project will build on the success of the first national Sunshine Week by expanding it to Internet, broadcast and student media.”
The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation promotes excellence in journalism worldwide and invests in the vitality of 26 U.S. communities. For more information about the Knight Foundation, go to www.knightfoundation.org.
Sunshine Week is a national initiative to open a dialogue about the importance of open government and freedom of information. Spearheaded by ASNE with a grant from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, the effort expands on the Sunshine Sunday concept begun in Florida in 2002 and since observed in several states. More information about Sunshine Week is online at www.sunshineweek.org.